Bowling Green State University
BUFFALO
Falcons Rally From 18-Point Deficit To Beat Buffalo, 69-65
February 02, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 2, 2002
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team rallied from a double-digit deficit for a 69-65 victory at the University at Buffalo Saturday night (Feb. 2). The Mid-American Conference game was held at UB's Alumni Arena.
The Falcons improve to 7-14 overall and 4-6 in MAC play with the win. UB drops to 9-12 and 4-6, respectively. The win gives BGSU a season sweep of the Bulls.
The hosts, leading by a 14-12 count, went on a 9-0 first-half run to extend the advantage to 12 points. UB led by as many as 18, when Angela Granger's basket at the 3:18 mark gave the Bulls a 39-21 lead. The Falcons reeled off nine of the half's final 11 points to trail by 12, 42-30, at the break.
In the second half, the Falcons came out smoking. BGSU scored the first six points of the half as part of an 11-2 run begin the stanza. The visitors got as close as two points, but UB's Jessica Kochendorfer scored the game's next six points to make the lead 52-44 with 13:28 left.
BGSU got back-to-back hoops from sophomores Stefanie Wenzel and Kelly Kapferer, and after a Kochendorfer basket, freshman Sakima Smith's three-point field goal cut the UB lead to 54-51. BGSU went 10-of-21 from long range (.476) in the game.
Wenzel, who led the Falcons with 21 points, hit a triple to tie the game at the 9:41 mark, then gave BG the lead with another trey at 8:09. Sophomore Pam Brown scored the next three points of the game to put the Brown and Orange up by six, but UB rallied.
The hosts went on a 9-2 run, capped by a Virginia Jennings three-point play, to retake the lead at 63-62 with 4:05 left. Junior Kim Griech dialed long distance on BG's next possession, however, to give the Falcons the lead for good. But the game was far from settled.
Sophomore Lindsay Austin hit a basket with 2:39 remaining, and neither team would score again until the game's final minute. Kochendorfer, who had a game-high 22 points, hit a pair of free throws with 51 seconds left, cutting the lead to 67-65. Austin struck again, however, converting a driving layup with 32 seconds left to provide the final margin.
The Bulls had two scoreless possessions in the final half-minute. Each time, BG forced a miss and grabbed the rebound. The Bulls were forced to foul three times before reaching seven fouls for the half with 16 seconds left. BG twice went to the line and missed the front end of one-and-one chances, but the Brown and Orange did not let the Bulls score again.
The win is the first road victory in MAC play for the Falcons this season.
In addition to Wenzel's scoring total, Griech also hit double digits with 12 points, nine from the free-throw line. Brown had nine points, while Austin added eight.
Smith had a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.
Two UB players joined Kochendorfer in double digits, as Jennings had 16 and Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe had 10. McMeeken-Ruscoe also had 12 rebounds and eight assists, but did not score in the game's final 35 minutes. Jennings also had eight assists for the Bulls.
The Falcons return home for a Tuesday (Feb. 5) game against Ohio University. That contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. at venerable Anderson Arena.
